Department of English

Linguistics - MA Concentration

The M.A. in English with a linguistics concentration follows the same basic coursework
for all students earning an M.A. in the courses (ENGL 5360 Theories of College Composition;
ENGL 5340 Research Methods; ENGL 5342 Critical Methods). Students take two courses
in British literature (one before 1660 and one after), but may choose the option of
taking a historical course to substitute for the early period British course. The
historical courses that satisfy the early British requirement include ENGL 5301 Old
English, ENGL 5334 History of the English Language, and ENGL 5303 Studies in Medieval
British Literature. Two courses in American Literature (one before 1900 and one after)
are required, but students may substitute one of the following to satisfy this requirement:
ENGL 5337 American English Dialects or ENGL 5337 Linguistics and Literature.

The remaining courses are all in English language and linguistics: ENGL 5335 Principles
of Language, 1 course on the structure of English (syntax, phonology, morphology,
or semantics), 1 course on sociocultural issues (language and gender, sociolinguistics,
discourse analysis, applied linguistics, or American English dialects), and 1 additional
course in linguistics from the English department or another department on campus.The
student can choose the thesis option, or instead decide to take to additional courses
in linguistics.